Fastener-applying implement



Aug. 2, 1955 c. M. LINDsTRoM 2,714,207

FAsTENER-APPLYING IMPLEMENT Filed July 10, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 'l duiw-l fn dell i'for CZ m-IesMLzdsram arzzys.

Aug 2, 1955 c. MQLINDSTRQM 2,714,207

FAsTENER-APPLYING IMPLEMENT Lz dezz'or: CyaazlesMLjnaZsh'om Allg. 2, 19.55 c. M. LlNDsTROM 2,714,207

FAsTENER-APPLYING IMPLEMENT Filed July 10, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 //0/20 :Ill/Illa b den fraz?. CzzlesMl-inds'am mrney United States Patent C)v FAsTENER-APPLYING IMPLEMENT Charles M. Lindstrom, Westerly, R. I., assigner to Bostitch, Inc., Stonington, Conn., a corporation of Rhode Island Application July 10, 1952, Serial No. 298,055

14 Claims. (Cl. 1-44.4)

This invention relates to fastener-applying or stapling machines for use in applying a particular type of staple to different kinds of work.

One object of the invention is to provide an appliance for preforming and driving staples of inverted V-shape in attaching upholstery fabrics to furniture, fastening plywood and other sheet-materials to different articles and for many other uses with various kinds of materials.

Another object is to provide an appliance of the type indicated having manually-controlled means for shearing the staples from a stick or refill and fluid-pressure operated means for driving the staples into the work under the control of the manually-operable means.

Another object is to provide an appliance of the type indicated in which staples of inverted V-shape are supplied from a magazine and fed automatically to the driving means with means for initially bending the legs of each staple into parallel relationship before they are driven.

Another object is to provide an appliance of the type indicated in which the staples are detached from the relll stick by a shearing action during the bending operation to avoid distorting or malforming them during such operations.

Another object is to provide fluid-pressure means for reciprocating the piston which actuates the staple-driver after the staple has been separated from the strip and preformed.

Another object is to provide a machine or appliance embodying a magazine in which staples of different lengths may be used with the staples backed up by the end of a solid core after they are sheared from the stick so that a short staple cannot be turned or misplacedV before driving.

The invention is herein described as embodied in a preferred form of construction, by Way of example, with one modification in certain of its parts as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: l

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the complete appliance;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a rearward elevational view of the same;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevational view of the appliance taken in a vertical plane bisecting the axis of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a similarly enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the cylinder of the machine showing the valve construction for the fluid-pressure operating means;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the magazine of the machine taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a composite perspective view of one of the rockable bender-levers for preforming the legs of the staple with its mounting and also showing the cammeans for rocking the levers;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the operating parts of the device in normal relationship prior to preforming a staple and driving it into the work;

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the manually-operable 2,714,207 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 ICC 2 cylinder depressed and the bender-levers actuated thereby to bend the legs of the staple into parallel relationship;

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the piston of the device as being operated by duid-pressure to drive the staple into the work;

Fig. 1l is'a View of a modified form of construction of the bender-levers mounted to adapt the parts to be disassembled for clearing the throat through which the staples are driven in case the machine becomes clogged;

Fig. l2 is a verticalsectional view of the same on line 12V-12 of Fig. ll;

Fig. 13 is a transverse sectional view of the same on line 13--13 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a composite perspective view showing the several parts of the mounting for the bender-levers in disassembled relationship to provide for clearing the throat when it becomes clogged.

Fig. 15 is a` transverse sectional view of the staplemagazine taken on line 15--15 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 16 is a detailed end view of the staple-pusher.

The present machine is controlled manually and oper-l ated by a pneumatically-reciprocated piston for driving the fasteners or staples into the work. the construction and arrangement of standard machines in that it is adapted for driving staples of peculiar form, for example, of inverted V-shape, and embodies means for initially bending the legs of the staple into parallel relationship so that they may be driven straight into the work.

It has been proposed previously to apply staples of in-` verted V-shape by bending their divergent legs into parallel relationship, but in the earlier machine the legs were bent toward each other by being forced down through a channel having converging sides. With such a form of construction the legs of the staple meet considerable re-` sistance to the bending action and are liable to be distorted or malformed during the bending operation so that they will not drive properly in applying them to the work. For instance, the legs of the staple may be curled around arcuately or buckled at an angle so that their pointswill not feed into the relatively narrow throat through which they must be driven. Any malformation of the staples during the bending operation will causethem to bind in the throat to clog the' aperture through which they must pass and in such cases it is usually necessary to disassemble parts of the machine and open the throat for clearing it by removing the jammed staple.

To overcome this diflculty or deficiency Vin previouslyused stapling machines `the present improvement provides vand thereafter rigidly guide them down into the relatively narrow throat through which they are driven. As another feature of improvement, the end of the solid core from which the staples are fed progressively to the driving means acts as a rigid guiding means at the rear of the staple so that it is held positively at its sides, front and rear to prevent any displacement thereof during driving even whenrelatively short staples are being used in the machine. Y Y l Referring now to the drawings, the present stapling appliance comprises two main elements, namely a h ori. zontal magazine 2 for holding a supply of' staples and a vertical cylinder 3 at the forward end of the magazine in which the mechanism for preforming and driving the staples is contained. The cylinder 3 isV provided-with af closed top 4 for receiving the palm of the hand by which it is forced' downwardly for initially severing the staple from the stick or refill and preforming its legs. The maga: zine 2 is generally of conventional form comprising a {J- shaped or trough-like member having vertical sides 6 (Fig.` 6) and an integral bottom 7. The upper portions ofthe It differs4 from widen the opening at the top and provide ledges or shoulders 8 for connecting a Slidable cover 10 to the magazine. The cover 10 is formed with a top wall 11 and side walls 12 folded in at the bottom to provide runners 13 engageable under the shoulders 8 for slidably connecting the cover with the magazine 2.

Extending longitudinally within the hollow magazine 2 is a rail 15 which forms a core for supporting the staples sto adapt them to be slid forwardly thereon. The rail or core 15 consists of a solid metal strip welded to the bottom wall 7 of the magazine 2 and formed with divergent sides merging into arounded apex portion at the top, see Figs. 4 and 6. Supported on the core 15 is a staple-pusher formed substantially to the shape of the staples s with side strips 21 adapted to overlie the inclined sides of the core 15 to slide thereon and joined at the top by an arcuate portion 22. A parir of ears 23 project laterally from the opposite sides of the staplepusher 20 and are formed with rectangular portions 24 adapted to slide along the inner recesses of the magazine 2 above the shoulders or ledges S. Helical springs 25 extending longitudinally on opposite sides of the core 15 have their forward ends engaging the ears 23 on the pusher -20 with their rearward endsv held by a cross-strip 26 abutting a transverse pin 27, see Fig. 4, projecting across the wider portion of the interior of the magazine 2. Through this arrangement the staple-pusher 2i) is adapted to be resiliently advanced along the core 15 to feed the staples s forwardly for delivering them singly to the staple-driving means, later described.

The cover 10 is adapted to be slid rearwardly to open the magazine 2 for inserting a supply of staples s thereinto and is provided at its forward end with a downwa-rdly-projecting strip or abutment 2S for engaging the forward end of the pusher 20 to retract it along the core 15 when the cover is withdrawn, see Fig. 4. The abutment 28 may consist in an angular piece of metal having vertical legs 29 inserted down through slots 30 in the top of the cover 10 and straddiing the sides of the core 15 for engagement with the forward end of the pusher. The upper dat portion of the abutment 28 is welded to the top of the cover 10 to form a fixed joint therewith.

Slidable through slots in the sides of the magazine 2 at its rearward end is a latch-member 32, see Fig. 3, having an enlarged head 33 the upper portion of which at its outer end is adapted to engage in a slot in the inturned ange or runner 13 on one side of the cover 1t) to lock the latter in closed postion. The latch 32 is normally held in engagement with the cover 1t) by means of a helical spring 34 coiled around the latch with one end abutting the side of the magazine and its opposite end engaging the head of the latch. A Cotter-pin 35 inserted through a hole in thesmaller end of the latch 32,

" strlps or smaller plates 64, see Fig. 2, which have their see Figs. l and 3, holds the latch in locked position against the force of the spring 34. By sliding the latch 32 inwardly against the tension of its spring 34 the upper shouldered portion at the end of its head 33 may be disengaged from the slot in the inturned flange 13 on the cover 10 to unlatch it.

The forward end of the magazine 2 is cradled in a U-shaped stirrup 37 having its sides and bottom welded thereto and formed with upstanding wings 38 at the front by means of which the magazine is connected to a vertical plate 40 forming the standard for mounting the cylinder 3 at the front of the machine. welded to the back of the plate 40 and have right-angular portions 39 extending rearwardly to abut the inner sides ofthe upper magazine walls to which they may be welded or'otherwise suitably secured, see Figs. l and 4. VAs shown in Fig. 1 the sides of the cylinder 3 are formed with vertical slots 41 extending a short distance upwardly from its bottom and adapted to embrace the sidesV of the plate or standard 40 to permit the cylinder4 to slide vertically on the latter.`v

The wings 38 are` The cylinder 3 is supported from the interior with its walls slidably engaging the periphery of a cylindrical sleeve 45 which forms an air-chamber containing the pneumatically-operated piston for reciprocating the staple` driver. As shown more particularly in Fig. 4, the lower end of the sleeve 45 is screwed onto a cup-shaped hub or bearing element 46. The lower portion of the hub-like bearing 46 has a circular axial opening at 47 and suitable lugs 43 at the top of the plate 40 project into slots in the annular rim of the opening, see Fig. l0, and are welded thereto to rigidly support the bearing. The upper end of the cylindrical sleeve 45 is supported on a cylindrical member 49 having the rim of the sleeve fitted to an external recess therein, the outer cylinder 3 enclosing this latter element and being adapted to slide vertically thereon. The member 49 is formed to provide an air-ingress and valve-means for controlling the pneumatic pressure for sliding the piston 50, next described, which operates the staple-driver.

The piston 5i) may be provided with a cup-shaped head 51 mounted at the upper end of a plunger which is formed as, or has attached thereto, a driver 52 for applying the staples to the Work. As shown in Figs. 4 and l0, the piston head 51 may be constructed of flexible material surrounding a cylindrical metal filler-piece or disk 53 screwed onto a threaded stud 54 at the upper end of the driver 52 and locked in place by a transverse pin 55 inserted therethrough. A disk or washer 56 held on the stud 54 against a shoulder at the upper end of the plunger 52 supports the head 51. In other cases, the head of the piston may be constructed as of a solid metal disk. Referring to Figs. 4 and l0, a helical spring 60 seated on the annular bottom wall of the bearing member 46 surrounds the driver 52 with its upper end bearing against the washer 56 to normally maintain the piston 50 raised in the position represented in Fig. 4. A ring 57 of suitable shock-absorbing material is seated on top of the bearing member 46 within the sleeve 45 for engagement with the washer 56 at the end of the downward stroke of the piston whereby to cushion the impact. As herein shown, the plunger portion 52 of the piston 5% is of maximum thickness towards its upper end and therebelow is reduced on its sides to form a T-shaped section throughout its lower portion. The lower portion of the plunger 52 is thus shaped to form a staple-driver having a relatively thin section 61 engageable at its end with the head of a staple and a central flange 62 for guiding the plunger or driver in its downward stroke in the throat through which the staple is driven.

It will be noted by reference to Figs. l and 4 that the standard or plate 40 extends down below the bottom of the magazine 2 to provide a foot or rest adapted to be placed against the work when applying the staples thereto. Secured fast on the front of the plate 46 are two metal inner edges spaced apart to provide a vertical slot 65 for receiving the ange 62 of the plunger or stapledriver 52. The plates 64 may be welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the front of the plate or standard 4Q with their opposed edges undercut or grooved to provide a wider slot 66 overlying the face of the plate 40 and constituting the throat through which the staples are driven, see Fig. l0. The upper portions of the plates 64 are cut away at the sides to form inclined edges and these upper angular portions 64a are reduced in thickness at the rear to provide spaces 64b between them and the face of the plate 40 for the reception of thc lower ends of the staple-bender levers 70. The levers 7i? are pivotally mounted above the plates 64 by means of pins or studs '71 held in the levers and journaled in holes '72 in the plate 40, see Fig. 7.

The plate 40 is formed with an opening 74 above the throat 66 through which the end of the staple core or rail 15 projects, see Fig. 8, and preferably the upper end of the throat is beveled on its sides to forma reentreat otleniria-` 7,5 vtor.reesii-ving. the leas .of the staple otter theyheve .been bent toward .each other .es shown in ,lila 9.-v lhe plete also has anelongated'slot or open- .ina 716 opposite the upper ends ot the levers adopted to .receive e pair. of roller-.s 77 which are iournaled on studs ,7 8` proie,sting rearwardly from the levers.. The rol-1ers y'77 r1re employed for roe-king the levers 7-.0 ,by the action of e earn $0 shown 1in perspective view Fig. 7. The sam $9 is lit-.ted within the ylower end .of the cylinder 3. see .Fis- 4. and secured fast tothe thereof by .screws 8l oreiller suitable means.

The forward lportion ,or the o.. 8.0 is formed, with parallel vertical slots 8.2 at the topl with oppositely- .inclined portions 83 at the bottoni- The rollers 77 on the studs 78 of the levers 70, normally engage in the inclined portion-s 8.3A of the .slots indicated in Figs. 2 .and -8 to maintain the levers :positioned lwith their `lower portiousineli-oed ewa-y from teach other to clear e ,space .for the staples s to `enter therethrough as they feed off from the end of the core 15 above the throat 66.. when the ,cylinder /3 is slid `dowrlwardl-y the rollers `77 `are `forced upwardly in the inclined portions83 of the .slots V.to enter the vertical portions 82 'as shown sin Figs. 9

and l() whereby 4to 'swing the lower ends of the levers 70 toward each other with their opposed edges impirigins against the less of the staple s" to bend the legs into parallel relationship as shown fig. 9;. During this operation of the bender-letters lll the ioremost staple '.fed .off from the Core l5 is ...separated .from the staple-stick by a shearing 4.action of its nlegs tending Ato .make a cleaner disconnection without .Chance of distorting the leas of the staple. After the staple s has been separated from .the stick `and preformed it is held rigidly between the solid end of the core 15 and the rearward faces ,of the plates .64 with its bent legs also rigidly supPOrted by the bender levers as ,it is driven by the reciproeation of the Piston ,50, Application of pneumatic torce to the piston 50 .is eleeted by the final downward ,movement of the cylinder 3 that opens the valve for the ingress of `air through the means nextdesoribed.

Referring to Eig. 1, the member 49 iis provided with a tapered tlztfreadedk hole `for the reception o f a nipple 86 or the like at the end of an air .hose 8.7. Thehose '87 may be connected to a source of fluid-pressure such as a pipe line from an air-compressor, not herein shown, but of any suitable arrangement. Referring to Figs,V `8 `and 9, the member 49 is provided with an axial neck 88 formed with a bore 90 communicating with the air inlet 85. Inserted in the upper endv of a counterbore above the bore 90 is a tubular sleeve91 having a bore 9,2 with yits lower end compressing a gasket 93 against the interior rim pf which a ball 95 is adapted to seat. The sleeve 91 'is fastened in the neckY 88 by a transverse pin 94 inserted through opposite grooves engaging therewith. A helical spring 96 surmounts the ball 95 with its upper end abutting a sldable plug 97 inthe upper end of `the bore 92. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, a gasket 98 held in a peripheral groove in the sleeve 91 seals the joint between the sleeve and the upper end of the member 49. An air- 'passage 99 in the side of the sleeve 91 provides for the ow of air from the bore 90 through the bore 92 of the tube 91 to `a passage 100 in the member 49 which debouches above the piston 50. The upper end of the passage 100 is closed by an end wall 101 forming part of the member 49. The upper end of the sleeve 91 is `slotted diametrically at 102 to permit escape o f air from the upper end of the chamber in the sleeve 45 during the return stroke of the piston 50 under the force of the spring 60. A helical spring 105 is mounted between the top of the member 49 and 'the closed end of the cylinder 3 tending to normally raise` the cylinder 3 on the sleeve 45.- It will be noted that one side of the cylinder 3 is provided withfa slotted opening 106, see Fig, 3, to accommodate the nipple 86 leading into the sideof the member 49 when the cylinder is slide downwardly under manual pressure.

Figs. 11 to. 14 .o f the present drawings illustrate a modied fform o f construction .of the throat at the front of the plate or ,standard .40 and the mounting for the benderlevers 70 which may be considered Van improvement over the construction first described. The plate 40 is generally or" the same form as rst referred to above, but instead of having the overlying strips or plates 64 Yxedly secured thereto, portions of the assembly are removable to prof vide for clearing the throat should a staple become malformed and jammed therein. Two substantially rectangular plates are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the front of the plate 40 with their opposed edges in parallel .spaced arrangement to form the staple-throat 111. A pair of studs or pins.112 project from the front of the plates 110, preferably having their shanks 113 inserted in holes in the `plate 40 and riveted over to secure them in place as shown in Fig. 12. A second pair of pins 115 are similarly fastened to the plate 40 to serve as bea1' ings for the bender-levers 70.. The upper set of pins 115 have enlarged shouldered portions 116 abutting the lfront face of the plate 40 and adapted to t holes 117 in the"l levers 70 to provide pivot bearings therefor. As shown in Fig. 14, the lower pins 112 are formed with transverse slots 118 at the top, while the upper pins 115 have similar slots 1,19 cut through their under sides.

After the levers 70 have been seated on the bearing portions 116 of the studs 115 with the rollers 77 on their studs 7,8 engaged in the slots of the cam 80, previously described and shown in Fig, 7, a pair of relatively long plates 120 are placed over the assembly for holding thel levers 70 in position and to form an outer relatively narrow vertical slot between their opposed edges, see Fig. 11", for the 'iiange 62 of the staple-driver 52 to slide therein. Stated another Way, the plates 120 `overlie the xed plates 110 on the plate 40 with their inner edges overlapping` the sides of the'throat 111 to render the construction. similar to that lirst described. The plates 120 are heldin place at the front of the plate 40 by a pair of relatively fl'at leaf-springs 121 having their end engageable with the slots `1.18 and 119 in the studs 112 and 115. The upper end .of each spring 121 is formed with a rectangular notch 122 while the bottom end is Vslitted to form a tab 123 bent inwardly at a slight angle, 'these portions of the springsbeing used for engaging the slots 118 and 119 in the pins 112 and 115, respectively, in the manner later explained. After the plates 120 have been placed in position with the pins 112 vand 115 projecting through holes 124 and 125 therein the springs 121 are snapped into place Yby `first engaging the slotted upper portion 122 of the spring with the slot 11,9 in the pin 115 and then by sliding the lower end of the spring laterally the inclined tab 123 can be slid into the slot 118 of the lower pin 112 to provide a firm connection between the parts; it being noted by reference to Fig. l2 that the springs 121 are bowed at the center to adapt them 'to bear against the lface of the plates 120 with considerable pressure, By means of this improved form of construction the front plates 120 may be easily disassembled to expose the staple throat 111 so that any dirt or particles of adhesive can be removed therefrom or, in case the staple becomes jammed in the opening, the throat can be readily cleared from the impediment, Whereafter the parts may be reassembled quickly and conveniently.

The complete stapling appliance or machine having been described in detail together with one modified form of construction of its parts, the method of operation of the device is explained as follows. The applicance is rst connected to a source offluid-pressure, -forexample compressed air, through the means ofthe hose S7 connected to the threaded inlet r85 at the top of the cylinder 3 as shown in Fig.V l. Normally, air-pressure admitted through the inlet 89will forceV the ball 95 upwardly to seat it firmly against the opening through the gasket 93 at the'lower end of the sleeve 91 and close the air-port at this point. The parts `of the device will 'then be in the position illustrated in Fig. 4 with the cylinder 3 raised on the sleeve 45 under the tension of the spring 105; it being understood that the magazine 2 has been filled with staples s by sliding the cover rearwardly and placing the staples in straddled relationship on the core 15. With the magazine 2 loaded the spring 25 acts to slide the pusher forwardly to advance the staples s into position with the foremost one abutting the rearward face of the plates 64 above the throat 66 at the bottom of the plate 40.

The operator may operate the implement with one hand by grasping the cylinder 3 and placing the foot at the bottom of the plate against the work to be stapled. Manual pressure is then applied to the cylinder 3 to slide it downwardly on the sleeve 45. The cam 80 at the lower end of the cylinder 3 will thus be moved downwardly to cause the rollers 77 on the bender-levers 70 to ride upwardly in the inclined portions 83 of the cam-slots, see Figs. 8 and l0, to enter the vertical portions 82 of the slots where they dwell to hold the levers operative as n the staple is driven down into the throat 66. The cam will therefore act on the rollers 77 to force the upper ends of the levers 70 apart, thereby causing them to rock on their pivots 71 to swing their lower arms toward each other. The lower arms of the levers 70 are thus rought against the divergent legs l of the staples s to bend the legs into parallel relationship as shown in Fig. 9 and preform the staple for driving it down through the throat 66. This action of bending the legs of the staple into parallel relationship breaks the film of adhesive attaching it to the stick, thereby separating the foremost staple therefrom and holding it rigidly both at the sides, front and rear while driving it down into the throat 66 by the staple-driver 52 as the piston 50 descends in the air-chamber within the sleeve 4S.

The above-explained manual reciprocation of the cylinder 3 next functions to open the valve-means and release the air-pressure to cause it to enter the air-chamber and force the piston 50 downwardly. Referring to Figs. 5, 8 and 9, when the cylinder 3 is depressed its closed upper end 4 will contact the plug 97 as shown in Fig. 9 to force the latter downwardly and compress the spring 96 which controls the ball-closure 95. Upon continued depression of the cylinder 3 from beyond its position shown in Fig. 9 to its position shown in Figs. 5 and l0 the spring 96 is further compressed and energized sufficiently to cause it to force the ball down into the bottom of the bore 90 in the member 49, thereby opening the airpassage or port 99 in the side of the sleeve 91 to permit the air to flow therethrough into theV bore and debouch down into the cylinder 45 for applying pressure to the piston 5'0. As the plug 97 is forced down in the bore 91 of the'tube 92 it closes the slots 102 to prevent escape of the air therethrough. The piston 50 is thus driven downwardly with a quick sharp action to slide the '1 driver 52 downwardly, see Fig. 10, whereby its lower end will engage the top of the staple s to drive the latter Ydown through the throat 66 and into the work. It will upwardly against its seat 93 and thereby close the port at the entrance to the bore 92. The pressure on the head 51 of the piston 50 will therefore be relieved so that the spring 60 will return the piston to its initial upward position illustrated in Fig. 4. Meanwhile, the air in the upper end of the sleeve 45 is exhausted through the bore 100, port 99, bore 92 and slots 102 to escape into the atmosphere through the opening 106 in the side of the cylinder 3. The device is then prepared for another operation to apply a staple to the work, the staple-pusher 20 being slid forwardly to advance the next succeeding staple s into position above the throat 66 and beneath the driver 52. In this way the appliance may be operated continuously and rapidly to apply the staples in series as required for any particular type of work.

It will be observed from the foregoing specification that my invention provides a particularly eicient fastenerapplying device adapted for convenient operation and capable of being used for many purposes with different forms of fasteners. While the invention is herein illustrated and described as embodied in a preferred form of construction with one modification thereof, it is to be understood that lother changes may be made in the structure and arrangement of the parts of the device without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

l. In a staple-applying device having a throat through which the staples are driven, means for temporarily retaining a staple of inverted V-shape above said throat, levers pivotally mounted on the device above the throat and at the sides of said staple, and means for operating said levers to engage and bend the legs of the staple into parallel relationship.

2. In a staple-applying device having a frame provided with a throat through which the staples are driven, means for delivering staples with divergent legs into position above said throat, a pair of levers pivoted on said frame above the throat on opposite sides of a staple, means for rocking said levers about their pivotal axes to engage said levers along the full length of the staple legs to bend said legs into parallel relationship, and means for driving said staples through the throat to apply them to the work.

3. In a staple-applying device having a throat through v-.hich the staples are driven, means for feeding staples of inverted V-shape into position adjacent said throat,

v means movable for engaging the divergent legs of a staple be understood that the stroke of the driver 52 is of suflicient extent to cause it to pass clear to the end of the throat 66 to drive the staple outwardly therefrom and set it in the work; in some cases to fasten fabric in place for upholstering furniture, in other instances to attach sheets of plywood or other material to the sides of crates, or for many other purposes in attaching parts to other objects within a wide range of use.

After a staple has been driven into the work in the manner explained above manual pressure on the upper end of the cylinder 3 is released, thereby permitting the spring to slide the cylinder upwardly. As the cylinder 3 rises it releases the pressure on the plug 97 in the end of the bore 92 to allow the plug to rise and the spring 96 to extend to its initial length. Thus, the force of the spring 96 on the ball 95 is relieved so that the air pressure entering through the inlet 89 will force the ball to bend them into parallel relationship, means manually reciprocable to operate said bending means, means for driving the preformed staples through the throat subsequent to bending their legs, fluid-pressure means for actuating-the staple-driving means, a source of iluid-pressure, and means operative by the manually-reciprocable means to apply the Huid-pressure to the staple-driving means.

4. In a stapling -device for operating on staples having divergent legs, a throat through which said staples may be driven, means to feed staples into position adjacent said throat, means engageable with the opposite legs of a staple to bend them into parallel relationship, a manually-operable member reciprocable for actuating the staplebending means, a driver for driving the staples through the throat and into the work, a piston for reciprocating said staple-driver, a source of fluid-pressure, a valve for admitting the fluid-pressure to reciprocate the piston, and means for opening said valve to admit pressure to the piston to ydrive a staple after its legs have been bent into parallel relationship.

5. In a staple-applying device having a throat through which staples are driven, a cylinder above said throat, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said device in posinon toengage and bend the legs of a staple into parallel relationship, means reciprocable relatively to said cylinder and connected to said levers to rock them toward each other into engagement with the legs of a staple for bending said legs into parallel relationship, a piston in said cylinder, a staple-driver reciprocable by said piston, a valve at the head of said cylinder, means for connecting'said valve with a source of fluid-pressure, and means operable after the legs of a staple have been bent into parallel relationship to open the valve to admit pressure to the piston to drive the staple into the work.

6. In a stapling device for use with staples having divergent legs, a straight-sided throat through which the staples may be driven, means for delivering a staple above said throat, means for temporarily holding said staple against movement, and means operative for engaging the legs of said staple throughout their length while said staple is being held against movement and bending its legs into parallel relationship for adapting the staple to be driven through the straight throat.

7. In a stapling appliance having means for applying staples having divergent legs, means movable simultaneously toward the opposite legs of a staple to engage their legs and bend them into parallel relationship, a parallelsided throat in said appliance for receiving the staples after their legs have been bent, and means for operating said staple-bending means, said bending means being retained in engagement with the legs of the staple for holding them in parallel relationship to adapt the staples to be driven through the throat in the implement.

8. In a stapling implement for applying staples having divergent legs, means on the implement for engaging thel opposite legs of a staple and bending them into parallel relationship, manually-operable means for actuating said bending means, and power-operated means for driving the staples into the work.

9. In a staple-applying machine for operating on staples having divergent legs, rockable levers engageable with the legs of a staple throughout their length to bend them into parallel relationship, a cam connected to said bending levers, manually-operable means for moving said cam to actuate said levers, and means for driving the staples to apply them to the work.

10. In a staple-applying implement for operating on staples having -divergent legs, means movably mounted on the implement for engaging the legs of a staple throughout their full length and bending them into parallel relationship, manually-operable means for actuating said bending means, a driver for driving the staples from the machine into the work, and duid-pressure means for reciprocating said staple-driver.

11. In a device for operating on staples having divergent legs, a throat through which the staples may be driven, an air-chamber surmounting said throat, means for delivering staples into position above said throat, a pair of levers pivoted on said device at opposite sides of a staple positioned above the throat, a cam connected to said levers for actuating them to bend the legs of a staple into parallel relationship, means reciprocable to operate the cam to actuate said bending levers, a piston slidable in the air-chamber, a driver connected to said piston for reciprocation thereby, and manually-operable means for admitting air under pressure to said air-chamber to reciprocate the piston and actuate the staple-driver to drive a staple into the work.

12. In a device for operating on staples having divergent legs, a magazine for the staples, a throat at the end of said magazine, means for feeding staples from the magazine into position above said throat, levers pivotally mounted on the device above the throat for engagement with the legs of a staple to bend them into parallel relationship, manually-operable means connected to said levers for actuating them, a fluid-pressure cylinder, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a driver connected to said piston for reciprocation thereby to drive the staples through the throat and into the work, and means for admitting fluid-pressure to said cylinder to drive a staple after its legs have been bent into parallel relationship.

13. In a device for operating on staples having divergent legs, a magazine for containing a supply of staples, a throat at the end of said magazine, a cylinder surmounting said throat, means to feed staples from the magazine into position above said throat, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said device and rockable for engaging the legs of a staple and bending them into parallel relationship, a second cylinder slidable vertically on the iirst cylinder, a cam carried by said second cylinder and connected to said staple-bending levers for actuating them, a piston in the first-named cylinder, a driver connected to said piston for actuation thereby to drive a staple through the throat and into the Work, valve-means for admitting fluid-pressure to said first-named cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, and means connected to the slidable cylinder for operating it to open said valve-means after the levers have been operated to bend the legs of the staple into parallel relationship.

14. In a stapling device having a throat through which the staples are driven, a core for slidably supporting staples having divergent legs to adapt them to be fed into position above said throat, said core having a closed end, means spaced outwardly from the end of the core to form a substantially closed cavity for receiving a staple between the end of the core and the end of the closed cavity for supporting it at the front and rear to prevent it from displacement, and means for engaging the divergent legs of a staple in said cavity and bending .said legs into parallel relationship while the staple is restrained against movement both forwardly and rearwardly so that its legs will be bent into parallel alinement without lateral displacement.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 634,676 Thomas Oct. 10, 1899 1,014,639 Colwell Jan. 16, 1912 1,377,295 Wentworth May 10, 1921 1,464,286 Lundblad Aug. 7, 1923 1,773,726 Deming Aug. 26, 1930 2,153,874 Posnack Apr. 11, 1939 2,185,518 Posnack Jan. 2, 1940 2,241,184 Clark May 6, 1941 2,545,372 Morberg Mar. 13, 1951 2,556,992 Wandel June 12, 1951 2,585,939 Juilfs Feb. 19, 1952 2,585,940 Iuilfs Feb. 19, 1952 2,589,491 Goodstein Mar. 18, 1952 

